


Sunburst Brand

by boychic



Category: Dragon Age, Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Gen, Rite of Tranquility, Tranquil Inquisitor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-25
Updated: 2015-06-24
Packaged: 2018-04-06 01:16:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4202382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boychic/pseuds/boychic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He was the sole survivor of the explosion at the Conclave, allegedly delivered from the fade by the hand of Andraste herself, but the strangest thing about him to these people was the golden sunburst brand upon his brow.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sunburst Brand

      Marqois often smiled to placate them. It was simply efficient: uncomfortable people were less productive, less reliable, and generally produced work of lesser quality. Tranquil mages like himself made other people uncomfortable. He believed his appearance was an effective tool, and if people expected him to lead it would be an invaluable tool. He remembered finding pride in that appearance at some point, being tall with Rivaini coloring, dark, thick hair and golden eyes. A shimmering gold that now matched the sunburst brand on his forehead. He remembered a great pride in his abilities, and dreams of a higher position in the Circle as a First Enchanter, or even a Knight-Enchanter in service of the Divine. Those dreams were quashed when he realized he would always be unable to sleep without exposing himself to powerful, dangerous demons unless extreme measures were taken.

      The first time he closes a Fade rift, he is nauseous immediately afterwards. His vision goes too-bright, and the brand on his forehead throbs painfully in time with his heartbeat. He arranges to the travel with a party of four rather than three as soon as this can be arranged. He is handy, now, with daggers and he crafts runes to increase their effectiveness when he has the means to do so. Many smallfolk in the Hinterlands refuse his help, at first, though they are starving and caught between two warring factions. Destroying both the mage and Templar strongholds in the area and securing a source of food for these people gains him their trust, and he stays in the area until the tasks left exceed his skill and influence.

      Next, the newly named Herald made a formal inquiry into where Ferelden’s Tranquil mages were located now, only to find that most of them had been left to fend for themselves or taken by Venatori mages for the purposes of experimentation. That so many of them were abandoned when the Circles dissolved almost prevented him from conscripting the mages. At least the Venatori were making use of them. It seemed illogical to dispose of so many skilled craftsmen. How would allies who viewed Tranquil as disposable respond to leadership under one? Nevertheless, he reasoned that they would be invaluable when it came to closing the breach. Marqois made his decisions quickly, decisively, and without emotional baggage to slow him down or endanger the Inquisition. Josephine praised him for being a model representative of the organization, even if his demeanor sometimes left more to be desired. At first, she wanted the fact that he was a Tranquil mage hidden, but he insisted that such a cover-up would interfere with him carrying out his duties unencumbered. He was not, could not be, ashamed of his state.

 

      The man masters use of the mark quickly, dealing a devastating blow to Corypheus at Haven by weakening the dragon with a rift and saving as many skilled workers as he can. When he reunites with the forces of the Inquisition, he helps and many of their sick and wounded as he can before following Solas to the great abandoned keep, Skyhold. There he is proclaimed the Inquisitor, the Herald of Andraste. Though he personally does not find the stories the smallfolk tell of his liberation from the Fade by Andraste likely, it is a useful tale. It is a useful deception. He has the right name, Trevelyan, for wooing the nobility of Orlais, Nevarra, The Free Marches, and Antiva. If he had not had magic, he would have been Bann Marqois Aloicious Trevelyan.

      Once his base of operations is established, he turns to cultivating an inner circle of diverse and powerful people. It is the next, most logical step in what seemed as if it would be a long and complicated project: Saving Thedas from the lingering threat of Corypheus.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! Thanks for reading. I'm pretty rusty, and I'm sure I have plenty of corrections to make! I'd love to hear feedback, and hear a little encouragement.
> 
> I wanted to write a fic exploring the nature of Tranquility, one in which the Tranquil mage did not have their Tranquility permanently reversed.


End file.
